25 years ago: Neighboring cities begin switch to enhanced 911

Voters in Columbia, Mo., had recently decided to upgrade their emergency communications system to “enhanced 911,” but Lawrence officials said they were happy with the regular 911 system that had been in place for 16 years. According to Mike Wildgen, assistant city manger, Lawrence was paying $149 a month for the system. The 911 system had been put in place in Lawrence in November 1969; it had been the pilot program in the state of Kansas. Thirty-six Kansas communities were now using the 911 system, but only three were using enhanced 911.

The Lawrence Holiday Bureau had so far received calls from 446 families asking for help for the Christmas season. Only 187 of the families had been adopted as of this date. The agencies participating in the Holiday Bureau were the Ballard Center, the Salvation Army, Penn House, the Lawrence Indian Center, and the Douglas County Council on Aging.